Myth, story-telling, music-making, good food, furry feet, and the man who weaves all of them together into an Epic tale, J.R.R. Tolkien.
(Oh, and I love Ultimate Frisbee!)

First Lord of the Rings reading experience:

I saw "The Book of Lost Tales Pt. 2" high aloft a book shelf in my home as a child, and not knowing who Tolkien was or what a hobbit looked like, I picked up the book and was spell-bound (literally) by the Traveler who visits one of the last Homely Houses in Middle-Earth.
As for The Lord of the Rings, I'm a Movie Frister ("and...loving it!").